Tigers moving on
Jack Pearson and a feisty Darlington squad edge Lovett in the state playoffs.
Jack Pearson and a feisty Darlington soccer squad edge Lovett in the state playoffs.
For 80 minutes, both Darlington and Lovett scratched and clawed their way through the ebb and flow of an eventful match to open the Class AA state playoffs Friday.
As the final buzzer sounded, Darlington coach Chris Babb, having just witnessed his team claim a 2-1 victory, let out a yell.
Welcome to the Sweet 16, Tigers.
Darlington’s Jack Pearson scored on an impressive breakaway in the first half and then made a sure-footed pass to Tanner Berry, who headed in the game winner in the 60th minute.
“Huge win. We had some challenges, but I’m glad to get that win,” Babb said.
The Tigers (11-5-1) are the first, and only, Region 7-AA team to defeat their Region 6-AA opponents in the first round of the state soccer playoffs this postseason.
Lovett, the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA, tied the game in the 36th minute on a penalty kick by Brody McGowan inside the box.
It was the lone blemish of the day for Darlington keeper Billy Biscoe, who finished with nine saves and hurled himself in front of shot after shot.
The state of the game changed just a few minutes before the Lovett goal when Lions keeper Matthew Boutte was given a red card after he was called for pushing Darlington’s Andre Mbakwe when he attempted to challenge him for a shot on the edge of the box.
Boutte was ejected from the game and Lovett had to play a man down for the rest of the match.
“It did help our momentum, but they played with 10 guys and played extremely well with 10,” Babb said. “They are a strong defensive team which typically doesn’t give up a lot of goals.”
The match was also special for Darlington’s players, coaches and fans as it saw the return of Will Sparks to the competition field after a knee injury last fall forced him to miss most of football season and the soccer regular season.
The senior was introduced in Darlington’s starting lineup to cheers from the home crowd and played several minutes in his first game back.
I think Will coming back was huge for us. We knew he wasn’t going to play a lot of minutes. He played more than we thought he would. But he felt good and that allows us to rotate fewer guys on offense,” Babb said.
“It was psychological as much as physical to have him back out there and contributing to the effort.”
The game seemed pretty balanced in its opening minutes. Pearson broke that equilibrium in the 17th minute when he brought the ball in from midfield and skirted past a defender and faked out Boutte before taking the ball in for a score.
Lovett made a good push on offense to start the second half, but each opportunity came and went with no goal to show for it.
Darlington then began gaining the advantage and Noah Woford took a shot from about 40 yards out in the 60th minute that was deflected by the Lovett keeper.
With the ball still in play, Pearson made a move for it and, after a quick battle, sent it to Berry in front of the goal to head it in for the score.
“It was a just a good, fortunate play,” Babb said. “Jack got the ball high enough and Tanner, with his size, there just are many other players who are going to be able to get above him.”
Darlington will host Vidalia in the second round of the state playoffs on Tuesday. A time is yet to be determined. ABOVE: Racers head up Fourth Avenue during the first lap of the Criterium.
RIGHT: Jeff Snover, Augusta, grinds away during the Clocktower Classic Fouche Gap Hill Climb on Friday morning. Kristina Wilder / Rome News-Tribune